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In the 2016-2017 season, the Anchor Farm Project in Rwanda is working with more than 35,000 smallholder farmers to increase access to agronomic knowledge, crop yields, and incomes.

The Anchor Farm Project integrates commercial farming and farmer outreach, helping to connect farmers to inputs, agronomic knowledge, and markets. In Rwanda during the 2016-2017 seasons, CDI is promoting a soya-maize rotation from season to season with a network of more than 35,000 farmers. Currently, CDI is working with the government to identify commercial farm opportunities.

President Clinton is greeted at the SoyCo construction site in Rwanda. SoyCo is contracting with thousands of local farmers across the Eastern Province to grow soybean for its processing plant and is providing high market prices for farmers with pre-season contracts.

Rwandan Farmers Increase Harvests

A Rwandan farmer tends to the soya crops on his plot. The Clinton Development Initiative (CDI) has increased access to various agricultural inputs to spark economic growth in Rwanda.

Trees of Hope Farmer in Malawi

Sekanakoni Banda stands next to one of the trees that he grows as part of the Clinton Development Initiative's Trees of Hope project in Malawi. Launched in 2007 in the Dowa and Neno districts, Trees of Hope aims to reverse deforestation by making tree farming attractive and profitable for farmers.

Increasing Yields at Maize Farms in Rwanda

Through Clinton Development Initiative's programs in Rwanda, smallholder farmers learn improved planting techniques and have expanded access to seeds.

Improving Farmers' Livelihoods in Malawi

Ifijenia Kamtaza, a Malawian soy farmer, is not only improving her harvest and turning more profit - Ifijenia will be able to send her daughter to boarding school and make improvements to her home.

Improving Soy Profits in Rwanda

In Rwanda, the Clinton Development Initiative is helping people increase their livelihoods and reduce malnutrition by developing soybean production cooperatives and businesses, aiming to provide reliable, long-term buyers for local produce and offer farmers a buffer against price fluctuations.

Clinton Development Initiative

Rwanda is one of the smallest and most densely populated countries within Africa. Approximately 80 percent of the population is engaged in the agricultural sector, most of which are smallholder farmers cultivating on less than one hectare. Unlike Malawi and Tanzania, Rwanda benefits from two rainy seasons, allowing farmers two growing seasons. However, much of the land is hilly and highly susceptible to erosion. CDI is active in the Eastern Province of Rwanda, currently in Kirehe, Gatsibo, and Kayonza. The Eastern Province has a total population of more than 2.6 million people, with a density of 264 people per square kilometer. CDI works with commercial partners, development partners, and the government to improve soil fertility and maximize land productivity and profitability.

Commercial Farming

The Rwandan government's agricultural intensification strategy to feed the country involves land plot consolidation, typically in the marshlands, with the addition of value through large-scale commercial irrigation. Generally, the addition of irrigation adds a third harvest, expanding agricultural opportunities for both smallholder and commercial farmers.

CDI is working with the government and Rwandan cooperatives to identify commercial lands to manage.

Smallholder Outreach

CDI focuses its smallholder outreach operations in Rwanda's Eastern Province – in the Kirehe, Gatsibo, and Kayonza districts – where they have an established network of field officers, government agricultural workers, and more than 35,000 farmers benefiting from agricultural extension services during the 2016-2017 seasons. CDI's work will focus on the effectiveness of its farmer extension programs. The core focus of these programs will be on integrated soil fertility management, predominantly for a soy-maize rotation; access to quality and reliable seeds, inputs and input finance; climate resilience and erosion control; and working directly with large buyers to secure the best price.

In 2016, CDI’s smallholder outreach program established 660 demonstration plots, showcasing agricultural best practices. In the 2016-2017 season, 60 hectares are being utilized for seed multiplication, which will produce enough seed for 6,000 farmers.

About The Clinton Development Initiative

The Clinton Development Initiative (CDI) develops and operates agribusiness projects that empower smallholder farmers to increase their economic potential.